ASX pares early losses to avoid correction

Australia’s sharemarket cut early losses but still closed lower, as Middle East conflict fears kept oil prices volatile and the Aussie dollar weakened.

By AAP & CBA Newsroom

23 March 2026

ASX

Key points

  • S&P/ASX 200 ▼ 62.5 points, or 0.74%, to 8,365.9
  • All Ordinaries ▼ 75.7 points, or 0.88%, to 8,552.6

Australia's sharemarket has trimmed some losses but still ended the session lower, as the ongoing Middle East conflict keeps energy prices volatile.

The S&P/ASX200 fell 62.5 points on Monday, down 0.74 per cent, to 8,365.9, as the broader All Ordinaries lost 75.7 points, or 0.88 per cent, to 8,552.6.

The All Ordinaries has tumbled 9.3 per cent since the conflict began, wiping almost $300 billion from the index's combined value from the resulting oil price shock.

Both indices fell into correction territory in the morning - down more than 10 per cent from recent record highs - while the basic materials sector is in a technical bear market, down more than a fifth from its peak.

The Australian dollar is buying 69.79 US cents, down from 70.86 US cents on Friday at 5pm, fading against greenback strength.

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